To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > People April 13, 2000 URL: http://www.salon.com/people/col/reit/2000/04/13/npthurs Outback mistake house Australian paper may face lawsuit for mistaking Natalie Imbruglia's rock star boyfriend for (gasp!) a girl. Plus: Christian Bale puts a sock on it; ABC to run Leo-on-Bill interview. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Amy Reiter We all make mistakes sometimes. Why, just yesterday I mistakenly attributed the hilarious Billy Bob Thornton interview set to run in an upcoming issue of his Men's Journal to its rival Men's Health. Oops! But as soon as my lapse was corrected (let us all give thanks for the instantly fixable Web), I heard about a mistake that made my error look like a minor typo by comparison. The New Country, an Australian newspaper, may be facing a lawsuit after erroneously claiming that pop princess Natalie Imbruglia is having a lesbian affair with Silverchair's Daniel Johns, according to Dotmusic.com. "Romance Between Woman Stars of Rock," blared a headline in the weekly paper. "Homosexual activity in the past would have remained secret or else threatened one's career," the paper opined. "Not only does no one criticize some stars for their lesbian relationships, but now it is a form of advertising." Thanks for the interesting insight, mates, but ... um ... Daniel Johns is a guy. As Natalie herself might say: big mistake. - - - - - - - - - - - - Mission to Murray "Chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear and when I do, it's something erotic." -- "Mission to Mars" star Jerry O'Connell channeling Bill Murray's character in "Stripes," in Australia's New Weekly magazine. - - - - - - - - - - - - It's not the size of the sock, it's the depth of the denial And while we're on the subjects of size and undergarments ... Christian Bale apparently gets mighty close to nekkid in "American Psycho," but, according to Fashion Wire Daily's Juice column, what we don't see ain't worth getting too worked up about. Bale's costar Guinevere Turner claims that Bale "was walking around the set with a sock on his penis, and shoes and socks. It was a brown sock, more like a tiny stocking. Oh, correction, a smallish stocking." But when Bale heard Turner's assessment, he fought back: "Goddamn her!" he exclaimed. "Not so tiny a sock, thank you." Say, you two crazy quibblers aren't having some kinda lesbian affair, are you? - - - - - - - - - - - - Smashing Guitars is his middle name "I am Pete Townshend!" -- Nicolas Cage, bucking for a role in the biopic of late Who drummer Keith Moon, currently in development. - - - - - - - - - - - - Juicy bits Hey, buddy. How'd you like to play Jennifer Lopez's love interest? The singer/actress was reportedly left in the lurch by Aaron Eckhart, who dropped out of her new film "Angel Eyes" after changes were made to his role. Could Puffy have paid him a visit? Leogate is over -- and not a moment too soon. After much hemming, hawing and hemming again, ABC News has decided to air its controversial Leonardo DiCaprio-on-Bill Clinton interview after all. The segment will run as part of an Earth Day special on April 22. "Everyone is comfortable with the decision," an ABC spokeswoman told the press. "But we're not going to discuss our editorial process." At least, not anymore. Are you my Anakin? Natalie Portman, who will reprise her role as Queen Amidala in the second "Star Wars" prequel, says she has no idea who will play Anakin Skywalker, who becomes her love interest in this episode. "I'm reading with potential Anakins at the end of the month," she says. "I asked George Lucas who some of the guys are but he refused to tell me. He knows I'd let the information leak out." Some "friend." Reuters reports that David Schwimmer startled the producers of a London radio show on Wednesday by calling to give them a piece of his mind. Schwimmer, in London filming "Band of Brothers," was peeved about a report aired on the BBC's "London Live" claiming that he and his fellow "Friends" are demanding $1 million an episode. "When I hear figures like that I get a little upset," Schwimmer told his rattled interviewer. "It reflects poorly on the cast. People get this idea that we are this group of spoiled actors demanding ridiculous amounts of money." Now whatever gave them that idea? Talk about rushing the passer. According to USA Today, Rush Limbaugh's campaign to replace Boomer Esiason on "Monday Night Football" has piqued ABC's interest. "There has been an attempt by ABC to contact me," Limbaugh told the paper. "They've built a bridge. Nobody's crossed it yet. I have no idea what will happen. But I love football. I'm a football animal, a huge fan." Well, he certainly was huge. salon.com | April 13, 2000   - - - - - - - - - - - - About the writer Amy Reiter is a staff writer for Salon People. For more columns by Amy Reiter, visit her column archive.